Q: Are those Web sites offering free iPods

A: As my mama once told me, there´s no such thing as a completely free iPod. But in this case, she may have been wrong.

Many of the sites in question—FreeiPods.com, FreePSPs.com, FreeDesktopPCs.com, FreeFlatScreens.com-come from one company, Gratis Network, which has earned a reputation as being fairly legit by actually giving away thousands of free items. So what´s the catch? In order to receive your item, you have to sign up for one of several marketing offers on the site, such as applying for a credit card or joining a CD club. Some of the offers cost nothing up front; you just have to remember to cancel before the trial period is up (which, depending on the company, is not always an easy task). The hoops don´t end there: You´ll have to
convince a number of friends or family members to also sign up for one of the marketing offers. The more expensive the item, the more people you´ll need. Gratis makes its money off commissions for these referrals.

To avoid hassling friends, a number of people have found creative ways to scare up the necessary referrals. Many post requests on their blogs, while others go to so-called conga lines—sites where strangers help one another out. (These sites are constantly coming and going, so just Google â€conga line.â€) Beware that whatever e-mail address you use to sign up for the offer is going to get spammed like crazy, so create a separate account and close it down once your freebie arrives.

Want to read more articles like this, plus tips and tricks, home hacks, DIY projects, and more? Subscribe to Popular Science today, for less than $1 per issue!

0 Comments

Popular Tags

Regular Features



June 2013: American Energy Independence

Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.


Online Content Director: Suzanne LaBarre | Email
Senior Editor: Paul Adams | Email
Associate Editor: Dan Nosowitz | Email
Assistant Editor: Colin Lecher | Email
Assistant Editor: Rose Pastore | Email

Contributing Writers:
Rebecca Boyle | Email
Kelsey D. Atherton | Email
Francie Diep | Email
Shaunacy Ferro | Email

circ-top-header.gif
circ-cover.gif